Advertising and marketing often represents a significant on-going expense for businesses, i.e., sellers and/or providers of consumer goods, products, and/or services. Consequently, both business owners/managers and providers of marketing and advertising tools are constantly looking for new ways to provide advertising to potential customers, i.e., consumers.
Theoretically, social media systems, such as Twitter™, Facebook™, MySpace™, Linkedin™, etc., offer businesses a mechanism for relaying information about their businesses and/or providing marketing data and offers. However, currently, many business owners and/or managers are unable to take advantage of these social media systems for one or more of several reasons.
As one example, many social media communications, such as postings, and/or messages, made to, and/or through, currently available social media systems are “business relevant social media communications” that make reference to, relay information about, and/or ask questions about, various businesses, product brands/lines, service brands/lines, specific products, specific services, specific service features, and/or specific product features.
As one specific illustrative example of a business relevant social media communication, a Tweet™ may read, in part: “Where is it better to buy baby clothes?”
As another specific illustrative example of a business relevant social media communication, another tweet, may read in part: “Where is the cheapest place to buy Nike Infant Shoes?”
As another specific illustrative example of a business relevant social media communication, a Facebook message may read, in part: “Hey! Just wanted to ask if you know where to buy a Monte Carlo men's Jacket in Bangalore?”
As another specific illustrative example of a business relevant social media communication, a Facebook message may read, in part: “Friends . . . I have to go buy Jewelry for elder sister . . . where can I best buy?”
As another specific illustrative example of a business relevant social media communication, a Facebook message may read, in part: Any thoughts why should I upgrade to QuickBooks™ 2011?
As noted above, business relevant social media communications, such as those seen in the illustrative examples above, that make reference to, relay information about, and/or ask questions about, businesses, products, and/or services, are quite common. As can also be readily realized from the illustrative examples above, many business owners and/or product and/or service providers, would benefit by being able to inject information about their products and/or services into this communication stream, and/or these business relevant social media communications. However, currently, business relevant social media communications are typically sent to either a specific one or more users associated with the social media system, or they are posted, or “broadcast”, to a community of users associated with the social media system. Consequently, currently, business owners and/or product and/or service providers are largely denied access to this communication stream, and these business relevant social media communications are often sent/posted to, and/or responded to by, parties not connected to, informed of, or associated with, the businesses, products, and/or services, referenced in the business relevant social media communications. As a result, currently, many business relevant social media communications go unanswered, and/or are not answered completely, and/or are answered with incorrect information, by parties who do not have the data/information to provide accurate, or complete information regarding the businesses, products, and/or services referenced in the message posting.
In addition, many currently available social media systems impose strict limitations on the size, and/or number of characters, that can be included in a given message, and/or posting. Consequently, in some cases, even when a business relevant social media communication is received/viewed by a party competent to provide the desired information associated with the businesses, products, and/or services, the message/posting size restrictions prevent the competent party from posting a response that actually provides accurate, or complete, information regarding the businesses, products, and/or services referenced in the business relevant social media communication.
As a result of the situation described above, not only are business owners, and/or providers of products and/or services, denied the opportunity to inject accurate information about their products and/or services into business relevant social media communications, but users of the social media systems are also denied the accurate information about products and/or services that they desire.